Indescribable
by Rainbowserpent
Summary: Neville and Luna. Truth, rain, sympathy and a recognition.


**Hi everyone, I'm back for a brief spell! :)**

**This is a re-write of the one-shot 'Rainfish' I wrote a little while ago, and I've rewritten fairly large sections of it-so if you read it before, this isn't stictly speaking the same story at all! Hopefully it's more insightful of the characters and wiser, as I think I've gained quite a bit of wisdom over the year.**

**Enjoy!**

**Any quotes or inspiration from Girlosophy are here rightfully credited.**

* * *

**Indescribable**

_By Rainbowserpent_

Neville fidgeted and fretted, twisting his hands together, sitting on the window sill as he gazing out the rain-spattered window.

He was thinking, as usual, of her. With her waist-long curly blonde hair, beautiful orb-like silvery eyes, and a soft, dreamy voice, Neville never seemed to stop thinking that Luna Lovegood was an angel.

Some people thought her strange, because she talked about strange and fantastical creatures which nobody had heard of before, like Wrackspurts, Nargles, Dhixies and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. But they were wrong, thought Neville. Luna knew far more than they did, and the thing was that she was never fazed by their teasing and taunting, as wise as an owl, she knows better than to retaliate to their petty remarks. She had proven herself a hundred times over every day, thought Neville, slightly gloomily.

Neville sighed, and shifted position on the window sill. Luna was so brave, yet _he_, a sixth year, couldn't even work up the courage to tell her he liked her. Neville pulled Trevor, his toad, out of the pocket of his robes, and stroked the wriggling animal as it fought to be free.

'Why does everything have to be so complicated Trevor?' muttered Neville, stroking the slimy green animal, 'How can I tell her? If she doesn't like me…'

Sighing and looking around he caught sight of his schoolwork, laid out on a desk, and, stuffing Trevor quickly back into his pocket as the ill-behaved pet squirmed and fought, he sat down with a melancholy sinking in the pit of his stomach. Demanding attention was an essay for Snape, the potions master, who loathed Neville in every essence of his being.

_Write a 2000-3000 word essay on the harvesting time for different plants such as Monkshood, Asphodel, Grünebloom, Wormroot and Fliteseed._

Neville blinked. How could he concentrate? His mind wandered aimlessly to what he'd had to breakfast, what lessons were yesterday, what his Gran would be doing (most probably dusting the taxidermy collection of her great-great-grandfather's,he concluded), and what lesson Luna might be sitting in at this moment.

He found himself drifting off to sleep, a familiar voice calling to him...

He was in a sunlit field, full of flowers and butterflies, and there, illuminated by a ray of sunlight, was Luna, her golden hair flowing out like silk, her eyes dancing, calling him…suddenly with a loud thunderclap, the sky was split in half by a brilliant white light, a lightning bolt. The scene dissolved around him, and all he could see was Luna, lost and alone, wet and cold and shivering, as torrents of rain poured down on her. There was another peal of thunder, and a tear streaked down Luna's face. Suddenly another loud crash of thunder and lighting split over Neville's head waking him, and without another thought he leapt up.

Neville tore from the Common Room, through the portrait hole ('Excuse me!' barked the Fat Lady who had been asleep, 'It's past curfew! I say-! Go to bed!') and down the corridor, tripping over his robes and stumbling down the marble staircase.

Leaping the next few steps, Neville veered left suddenly down a thin corridor, then out into a sweeping staircase. As he pounded down it, Neville suddenly found himself colliding headlong with a group of several people, dripping wet and looking downcast.

'Neville?' came Harry's voice, 'are you alright?'

'Neville!' said Ginny, extracting herself from the group of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean and a few fifth-year friends of Ginny's that Neville knew only by sight, 'Luna's gone missing! She hasn't been seen since lunch time. We think she might be out in the rain-!'

'Haven't-got...time,' panted Neville, sprinting down the stairs, glancing back to see Ginny standing, confused, the rest of them staring after him. 'I'll find her,' he whispered.

Bursting into the Entrance Hall and pushing open the doors, Neville ran as fast as he could down the sloping lawns as steely grey sheets of rain attacked him. Shivering, Neville tried to recall the dream…where had she been crouching?

Racking through his brain, Neville summoned up the image. There was Luna, soaking wet, tears tracking down her face, mingling with the raindrops there…she was beside a large body of water. Two words appeared in Neville's mind: the lake.

Slowing to a jog, Neville made his way to the gradually swelling lake, its banks slippery and treacherous.

It took him ten minutes, skirting the lake and the Forbidden Forest, but finally, now soaked to the bone, he came across a small, huddled figure, long blonde hair stuck to her sodden robes.

'Luna!' he cried loudly.

Another thunderclap sounded, and a bright white flash of lightning rent the air in half, and she looked up.

There was a silence as Neville sat down next to her. They were silent for a long time.

'What are you doing here Neville?' asked Luna softly.

Neville, almost slipped over in surprise, 'I-I'm-I was searching for you,' he stuttered.

'Well you've found me.'

There was a silence.

'So what happens now?' said Neville, their knees almost touching, 'do we just sit here?'

'Yes,' answered Luna simply.

Neville nodded slowly as rain poured down his face.

'I wonder what they're eating?' Neville mused after a while.

Luna turned her wise grey eyes towards him.

Neville prepared to tell her no, he wouldn't rather be eating than here with her because she was very important, and yes, of course she was worth it.

But Luna, wise, gentle Luna simply nodded and said rather shakily, 'I suppose the pudding will be gone by the time we're back inside.'

Neville nodded, feeling rather stupid to have brought food into the conversation.

The rain came down in sheets around them and there was another peal of thunder.

'You get used to it after a while...' Neville mused aloud, 'I've always hated rain, but it's quite beautiful.'

Luna looked at him, his dark hair plastered to his face, dripping with rain as he looked earnestly around. He didn't need to be here. No-one else had been so devote to Luna before. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so made nothing of it, and sat enjoying Neville's company.

'You know, if my Gran were here she'd be yelling at me to get out of the rain...I've never been allowed out when it's raining.'

Luna looked sideways at him.

'What about your parents?'

Neville turned very red and looked down at his lap, muttering something about 'Just Gran...'

Luna nodded. 'They aren't dead, are they?'

Neville looked up, the hurt evident in his eyes. He tried to speak but all that came out was a strangled choking noise.

'There's a certain feeling of a person when they talk about people who are gone. They're very final and sad in a wise, happy remembrance kind of way. But you're not like that. What happened to them?'

Before Neville could stop himself or think about what he was doing, he was crying and telling the whole story, of going over to play at his Gran's when he was a little boy, and being too distracted by a new toy his Gran had bought to say a proper goodbye to his parents. The next he'd seen of them they were in St. Mungo's, and didn't even recognize him.

'They do,' said Luna suddenly. 'People never fully forget. A very deep part of you loves, a part that can't be explained in words, but that's reflected in the way we are and behave. And that little part, hidden away, will always remember. Even if your parents' words and memories are locked away, the very deepest part of them knows who you are and remember and love you. And it always will be that way.'

Neville sat, shocked, and wrapped in thought. All the sweet wrappers from his mother, and that flicker of remembrance he'd once seen in her eyes... Luna was right he thought.

They sat in silence for a long time.

'Do you talk about your mother in sad but happy remembrance?' asked Neville after a time.

Luna looked at him. 'I suppose I do...I can remember her so clearly sometimes...and other times, it's as if she's something from a dream. I have a memory of helping with her experiments...' Luna closed her eyes, as if to pull the memory forward from a great swirling pool of thoughts, 'and being able to help bring down a big candy-striped box...it was cool beneath my fingers, and reminded me of muggle merry-go-rounds and days at the fair...when she opened it, there was a golden glow...'

'Is that why you're sad?'

She smiled at him sadly. 'No...I'm sad about my mother always...it's something I carry with me-each year it gets easier to carry, but it never goes away. It never will. But I'm sad for all of us. For my father, living without my Mum... he seems so broken sometimes...and we haven't much money... And all of us, all my friends I used to have in the D.A...'

'You'll always have us,' said Neville fiercely

She smiled, 'Will I?'

'Well I'll always be here.'

'You don't know what that means to me Neville. Thank you. We'll all need each other...I'm scared and I'm sad for times ahead...nothing will be easy or the same. We have to enjoy things while we can.'

Her eyes met his and they seemed to lock together. In that glorious moment, Neville couldn't feel anything around him, not the rain or the thunder, the sadness inside or even his feelings for Luna. Everything stood still, and it felt as if the sun came out as they moved slowly towards each other and Neville felt his insides turn to golden syrup...

As Luna walked him back up to the Gryffindor Common Room, they held hands and shot furtive glances at each other, blushing and soaked.

Luna stopped him around the corner from the Fat Lady's portrait. 'Goodnight Neville,' she said, and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

Neville gave her hug and then wandered aimlessly into the Common Room in a glorious daze, not hearing the Fat Lady's scolding, but repeatedly touching his cheek where she'd kissed, having to check it wasn't on fire, as it felt.

When the others questioned them later about where Luna had been and what had taken them so long, Luna slipped her hand into Neville's, hidden by their robes and smiled. 'It's a secret,' she said.

'Isn't rain brilliant?' grinned Neville as they walked cheerily away down the corridor, hand-in-hand.

Luna grinned at him, and he was filled with the most indescribable happiness, such as he had never experienced before. It is one thing to love someone. But for them to love you back...

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The very deepest part of you, the very heart of your affections is responsible for such a feeling, and it cannot be taken or emulated or rushed. Love cannot truly be found alone, but together. And without at least thinking we're in love when we're not, we've nothing to compare to when we stumble across real love. It's out there. "There is no perfect person, but an imperfect person who could make you perfectly happy." Don't look over that person's shoulder for a tall dark and handsome stranger who doesn't exist. Don't rush love. Take your time, 'don't chase, obsess or try to hard'. Just let it be.


End file.
